Vehicle-reach.



PA-TENTED MAY 26, 1903.

J. M. BRYANT.

- VEHIGLE REACH.

APPLIOATION IILED JUNE 10. 1-907.

. Ea/anion I II'IIIIIII Witnases: 4 4

- By kifiAfiorneys: I

- WWW UNITED STATES PATENT oEEIoE.

.lOHN M. BRYANT, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO JOSEPH L. HENRY,

OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK.

VEHIO LE-REACI-I.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 26, 1908.

To all whom itlmay concern: Be it known, that 1, JOHN M. BRYANT, citizen of the United States, residing at Cleveland, in the county of Ouyahoga' and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vehicle Reaches; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention has for its especial object to improve the construction of the so called reach rods or perches of carriages and other vehicles, but from a broader point of view it has for its object to provide an improved bar for use in the construction of vehicles.

To the above ends the invention consists of the novel devices and combinations of devices hereinafter described and defined in the claims.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings, Figure. 1 is a perspective view with some parts broken away, showing a pair of reach rods or perches constructed inacoordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view, showing the front end portion of one of the folded metal bodies of one of the reach rods, usually briefly designated as reaches. Fig. 3 is a transverse section taken on the line 00 a of Fig. 2. Fig. 4c'is a detail in perspective, with some parts broken away, illustrating a modified form of head to which the folded body portion of the reach is applied. Fig. 5 is a plan view with some parts sectioned, showing in detail the reach head shown in Fig. 4, and

Fig. 6 is a perspective view showing the manner of connecting one of the stay braces of the running gear. to the intermediate portion of the reach.

Considering first the construction illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the numeral 1 indicates the body portion of the reach, the same being formed from a flat sheet of metal bent upon itself so that in cross section it has approximately the form of an inverted letter W, the edge portions of the sheet from which it is bent being brought closely together so as to form a central longitudinally extended rib of the folded rod. In fact, it will be seen that the said folded body is provided with three approximately parallel depending ribs and that each rib is made up of a fold or double thickness of metal.

To the front ends of the two reachrods thus formed, malleable iron heads 2 are rigidly secured, either by bolts or rivets 3, and to afford seats for these bolts or rivets, the upper bowed portion of the folded rod 1 is perforated and in line with such perforations the intermediate rib forming flanges of the folded body are bowed to form a sleeve 4, best shown in Figs. 2 and 3. As shown in Fig. 1, these malleable heads 2 are cast integral with an anchoring bar 5 that is adapted to be rigidly secured by bolts, rivets or other suitable devices to one member of the fifth wheel of the vehicle.

To the rear ends of the folded reach rods 1 malleable heels 6, so-called, are secured by means of bolts or rivets 7, which latter are passed through the said reach rod and through the upper and lower portions of the said heels, the intermediate rib portion of the said reach rod being preferably formed with passages and sleeves 4 above noted as being provided for the bolts or rivets 3. The proj ecting rear ends of these heels 6 are adapted to be secured to the rear axle in the usual way and by the usual or any suitable means, such as'nutted U-bolts (not shown).

Figs. 4 .and 5 illustrate the folded reach rod of approximately the same form asthat illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, but show a reach head of different construction. The

reach head here illustrated is in the form of a threaded bolt 8 having a clamping flange 9 and a projecting bifurcated rear end 10. Also in this construction, the front ends of the reach rod 1 is tapered and reduced in diameter toward its front end, and in securing the same to the bifurcated end 10 of the bolt 8, the intermediate rib thereof is passed into the slot between the prongs of said end 10 while the outer flanges of said folded reach rod are passed on the opposite sides of the said bifurcated end 10, and rivets or short bolts 11 are passed through co-incident perforations in the three flanges of the said reach rod and in the two sides of the said bifurcated end 10.

The folded metal reach rods above described may be very easily formed from sheet metal which has been annealed or which has not been tempered, and when it. has been given a spring temper after it has been formed it will be very strong and capable of resisting endwise compression strains,

clip or U-bolt 13, the threaded 'ends of which are provided with nuts 14. This clip is assed over the bowed u per portion of the folded reach rod and cosely engages the same while its threaded ends are passed through perforations in the stay brace and the nuts 14 are tightly screwed against the under surface of the said stay brace. The inner or intermediate web of the folded reach rod projects down against the stay brace and serves to greatly strengthen the reach against crushing and also prevents the brace from sliding thereon or becoming-detached.

What I claim is: i 1. A vehicle bar constructed of sheet metal bent or folded upon itself to form three longitudinally extended multi-ply ribs, the outer portion of said bar being approximately U-shaped in cross section, and the.

edges of the folded sheet being brought together at the edge of the intermediate rib, substantially as described. v

2. A vehicle bar constructed of sheet metal bent or folded upon itself to form three longitudinally extended multi-ply ribs, the

outer portion of said bar being approximately U-sha ed in cross section, and the folded plies o the metal sheet that form the folded sheet being brought together at the edge of the intermediate of said ribs, the

metal folds that constitute said intermediate rib being separated or bulged to constitute bolt passages, and the outer fold of said sheet having perforations alined with said bolt passages, substantiallyas described.

4. A vehicle bar constructed of sheet metal bent or folded upon itself to form three longitudinally extended multi-ply ribs, the outer portion of said bar being approximately U-sha ed in cross section, and the edges of the fo ded sheets being brought together at the edge of the intermediate rib, the folds of said intermediate rib portion being reversely bulged to form a sleeve-like bolt or rivet seat, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN M. BRYANT.

Witnesses:

S. H. MEAOHAM, Tr-ros. L. LEwIs. 

